Image: IBASHO, Antwerpen
IBASHO will present ‘Ikebana’, the third solo exhibition by Japanese photographer Mika Horie, at its Antwerp gallery from 6 September to 25 October 2026. The exhibition will bring together works from the title series with pieces from ‘Fuki’, a series first shown at Paris Photo 2025 that explores the Japanese nude. A vernissage is scheduled for Sunday 6 September, from 14:00 to 18:00.
Horie’s practice combines photography with the physical production of her image surfaces. She creates cyanotypes on handmade paper made from gampi fibres, using trees, water and light as central elements in her work. The ‘Ikebana’ pieces are described as unique hand-painted cyanotypes, making each work distinct both in its photographic image and in its application of pigment.
The artist lives in Yamanaka Onsen in Kaga, Ishikawa prefecture, in a Meiji-era farmhouse and studio in the mountains. After the snow melts in spring, she gathers gampi branches from the surrounding mountains. She then processes the fibres by hand into traditional Japanese paper, producing a material that IBASHO characterises as delicate in appearance but sturdy in construction.
‘Ikebana’ developed from Horie’s experience caring for her mother, who suffers from dementia. According to the exhibition text, Horie observed that looking at flowers—whether printed in newspapers or growing in a garden—could bring her mother moments of tranquillity. That experience led to a sustained interest in ikebana, the Japanese art of formal flower arrangement, and prompted Horie to enrol in lessons.
The series frames flower arrangement as an act directed toward others. Horie has said that she aims to embody a spirit of “altruism” by arranging flowers with family, friends and other people in mind, or with the hope of soothing those sharing a space. The exhibition describes her time with flowers as a way of clearing mental noise and reaching inner stillness, connecting the series to ideas of everyday beauty, prayer and peace.
Horie was born in Kyoto in 1984. She became interested in photography and Japanese paper-making while studying for a bachelor’s degree at Kyoto University of Art and Design. After graduating, she worked as a freelance photographer and spent a year in the United Kingdom in 2008 studying for an MA in European Arts Practice (Fine Art) at Kingston University in London. In 2013, she established a studio in Kaga City; following practical training with a traditional papermaker in Shiga, she began pursuing the aesthetic relationship between Japanese paper and cyanotype photography. Her work has been exhibited in Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. IBASHO is located at Tolstraat 67, 2000 Antwerp, and is open Thursday through Sunday from 14:00 to 18:00, as well as by appointment.
